Stefano Brizzolara

Dr. Stefano Brizzolara is a Professor in the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech and serves as Co-director of the Center for Marine Autonomy and Robotics (CMAR) and Director of the Innovative Ship Design Lab (i-SHIP). He holds the Crofton Faculty Fellow title and is Assistant Department Head for Graduate Studies. His research focuses on advanced marine vehicle design, hydrodynamics, CFD, and autonomous systems.

• Ph.D., Naval Architecture, University Federico II, Naples, Italy (2000)
• M.S. and B.S., Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, University of Genoa, Italy (1994)

Dr. Brizzolara's research interests center on numerical hydrodynamics, innovative ship design, high-speed marine vehicles, and marine renewable energy. His lab develops advanced CFD tools and design methodologies for autonomous underwater and surface vehicles, with applications in naval and commercial sectors. He specializes in turbulence modeling, propulsor optimization, and fluid-structure interaction.

His recent publications (2020–2025) emphasize maneuvering and seakeeping models for shallowly submerged AUVs, CFD validation of high-speed hulls, transition modeling, and wave energy conversion. These works demonstrate a strong trend toward integrating multi-physics simulations, nonlinear dynamics, and energy-efficient marine systems.

• 2021 Chair, SNAME H-11 CFD Committee
• 2020 Crofton Faculty Fellow
• 2018 Calder Prize for best paper on high-speed crafts
• 2016 IEEE Excellence in Review Award
• 2015 Mandel’s Prize (as advisor)
• 2011 Best Paper Award, Journal of Ships and Offshore Structures

Dr. Brizzolara has advised numerous PhD and master’s students, including Luca Bonfiglio and Taylor Njaka. His research is supported by grants from ONR, DARPA, DoE, and industry partners. He has served on editorial boards of major journals and led professional committees in SNAME and ISSC.

He leads the Innovative Ship Design Lab (i-SHIP), which conducts cutting-edge research in marine autonomy, hydrodynamics, and sustainable marine technologies. The lab fosters collaboration with MIT, industry, and international institutions.